OAC Artist Residencies:
A Quick Guide to Planning and Funding Your First Residency
OAC Arts Learning artist residencies often end on a spectacular note, but the process that unfolds over 2-8 weeks yields the most evidence of learning.
- What would a burst of imagination, a rebirth of wonder, a discovery of everyday beauty do for your school or community?
- Where could a creative challenge, an infusion of artistry, some lively conversation make a difference for your staff and the educational offerings you provide?
- How might a new perspective, exploration of essential questions, immersion in meaningful projects engage the learners you serve?
- What could the artistic process do for your school, cultural institution or nonprofit organization? Would participant enthusiasm, staff relationships, organizational image, community bonds, grow stronger? Would sharper vision and renewed commitment ensue? Would innovation blossom?
One way to begin finding out is by participating in
the Ohio Arts Council's Artist in Residence (AIR) program.
Teaching artists often work with schools to create arts experiences that meet Ohio academic standards.
The purpose of the program is to connect schools and nonprofit organizations to accomplished teaching artists who can help design and implement in-depth, engaging, personal and sustained learning experiences in music, dance, theatre/drama, the visual arts, design, the media arts and the traditional arts. The diversity and versatility of the OAC artist roster ensures that residencies reflect the interests and unique qualities of groups throughout Ohio. An OAC grant can help you defray the costs of an artist's fees.
If you are considering applying for funding to sponsor an OAC artist residency for the first time, you probably are asking two kinds of questions:
- How do OAC artist residencies work?
- What will it take to ensure that our artist residency succeeds?
The Basics: Learning How OAC Artist Residencies Work
Nonprofit community organizations can apply for OAC grants to support artist residencies.
Residencies last between two and eight weeks and they typically culminate in a sharing of work that shows evidence of significant learning in the arts—and usually in other areas as well.
Artist residencies are not pre-packaged or artist-centered. Goals and activities typically stem from what intrigues or concerns the learners who participate. Staff members from the sponsoring school or organization work with the artist to plan the residency, aligning it with state academic content standards or learning goals that advance the organization's mission. Learners make the key artistic decisions during most residencies.
Residencies typically begin with an opening assembly to introduce the artist and art form to the school. A core group of participants engages in daily arts learning activities while the broader population of learners receives less intensive experiences.
The total professional fee for a single artist is $1,200 per week. All schools and nonprofit organizations are eligible for grants from the OAC, which cover two-thirds of the artist's fee. The sponsor is responsible for the remaining $400 per week. If you are interested in sponsoring a residency that requires multiple artists, you can contact the OAC's Arts Learning staff to discuss an appropriate amount to request. Also call the OAC if you plan to apply for a two-year residency. Draft grant applications are due January 1, 2012, and the final applications are due February 1, 2012.
Sponsors are also required to provide a budget for supplies and assist the artist in locating free or reduced cost housing if the residency location is more than one hour from the artist's home. Schools are asked to provide a daily lunch for the artist, if possible. Artists are responsible for all other meal and travel costs for the residency.
Sponsors also can apply for grants from other funders or seek funds or donated goods and services from parent-teacher organizations, community groups and local businesses to help defray costs.
Some Success Strategies: Making the Most of Your Residency Project
Creativity, collaboration and coordination are the keys to successful design, planning, and implementation of OAC artist residencies. Begin by envisioning possibilities and exchanging ideas with a small group. Explore the needs of your organization and what you hope to accomplish. As a vision begins to emerge, expand your group, select an artist and begin planning. As the plan takes shape, begin preparing the narrative for your grant application so it will be ready to submit by January 1 for initial review.
Learn More
Five experienced OAC teaching artists shared some strategies that can help sponsors plan effective artist residencies.
To learn more about how artists add value to the planning process, follow this link.
Set a direction for your artist residency by talking with a small group of colleagues about your organization's needs and goals. Become familiar with the concept of a residency. You may want to talk with or visit other groups that have completed Arts Learning residencies. Those are identified in an OAC online database of past grant recipients. Articles in the Links & Threads archives, as well as the artist bios in the OAC's Arts Learning Artist Directory, also may provide some ideas.
Begin to identify possible learning challenges that could be addressed through an artist residency. The Residency Resources page includes some questions to help you explore ideas.
Your planning committee should consist of the eight to twelve individuals—those who envisioned the residency and others who will be key to its success. In a school setting, a typical committee could include teachers and staff members who will be working with the artist, as well as the principal and any other individuals who can help ensure that the residency is successful. Similarly, a cultural organization or other nonprofit might form a committee that includes a mix of those directly involved in programming related to the residency and individuals in leadership and support roles. Parents of participants, community leaders and business people also can add value to the team by providing a different perspective, organizing volunteers, sharing resources or raising funds.
Your team should select one member as the On-site Coordinator. That individual will be responsible for becoming familiar with the application requirements and process, keeping the planning process on track and ensuring that the artist and activities receive appropriate coordination and support during the residency.
With your team members' imaginations in gear, it is time to select an artist and start planning. A well-crafted plan will ensure optimal learning, as well as make the best possible use of time and resources and increase the likelihood that your residency project will be funded.
The OAC's online Arts Learning Artist Directory is your source for identifying artists who can help you realize your vision. Artists are grouped according to the arts disciplines in which they work, and each artist's description includes a photo, bio and contact information. You will notice that many of the artists are versatile, working in a range of disciplines, genres and artistic media.
The On-site Coordinator and members of the planning committee should work with the artist to design a set of activities that will achieve your vision and goals. The process is both creative and strategic. The OAC's online Residency Handbook will provide more detailed information to guide your planning process.
Your artist residency will be more likely to achieve maximum impact if your team stays excited and actively works to build enthusiasm and support across the organization and community. As you begin the planning process and as your plan takes shape, take time to continue dialogue about the vision, goals and desired benefits and features of your residency both with other team members and with those whom you hope will support and participate in the project.
Remember that you will need at least five (no more than eight) letters of support from key individuals involved in planning and implementation. Make sure to capture in writing some of the thoughts that emerge in the discussion and share them with those who are writing letters.
The Residency Resources page includes some questions to help you build support and sustain success.
As the January 1 deadline for submitting your draft application approaches, start assembling your narrative. Become familiar with the 2012-13 Guidelines, which provide all the information sponsors need in order to apply and list the criteria that will be used to evaluate your grant. The OAC staff improved and simplified the guidelines during the summer based on feedback from board members, constituents and grant review panelists. Also take a look at the OAC's online Grant Applications (OLGA) system.
Submitting your draft application by January 1 is a way to get feedback from expert OAC reviewers before the final February 1 deadline. Your final application will be reviewed by a panel.
The Residency Resources page includes some questions to help you develop your application.
This article was published in December 2011
